


Disconnection

by WintersIce



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Drama, F/M, Friendship/Love, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-03-26 14:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3854215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WintersIce/pseuds/WintersIce
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Togami has had enough of Fukawa obsessing over him, and declares that he'll destroy her career if she doesn't stop. Unknown to him, those very words are the trigger for her decline into instability, because if she can't write and follow him, what's the point of her life? All the while Naegi is doing his best to figure out what's going on before everything around him is destroyed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shots Fired

He couldn't stand it anymore. Day after day, morning and night, again and again. No matter how much he would tell that insufferable girl to leave him alone, she just wouldn't understand. Ironic considering she should be well versed in the meaning of various words. He would essentially tell her to die, say that she was worthless and an overall nuisance to the world. Yet she just wouldn't go the hell away. No matter what came flying out his mouth, no matter how hostile and ruthless it sounded, only everyone else but her would understand what he was saying. The other students who would over hear his frustrations towards that annoying wench could only sigh as they saw the girl not understand that the thing of her obsession absolutely hated her whole entire existence. That he would love to have her damned for all eternity.

So Togami came up with a plan to rid the infuriating bitch once and for all from his shadow. She would relish in his insults, surely getting off on it in some twisted manner he didn't want to understand. So if his words did nothing for the imbecile, then he needed to strike her somewhere else. If her brain was so warped to not understand that he wished the most painful death upon her, then threatening to steal everything away from her would be the next best course of action. If he threatened to take away everything that gave her wretched life meaning, then maybe she would finally learn that he didn't want to be anywhere near her. That he wanted her to be gone from his life because all she did was annoy him with her grand stupidity.

As such, the young heir came up with the brilliant plan to destroy her career. As he walked quickly to his classroom that early late autumn morning, he was planning out her demise. His footsteps were echoing in the large hallway as his mind raced with his strategy. He had never been the friendly type since he was always placing himself higher on the pedestal than anyone else. Considering all the things he did to get his title, he would say with pride he deserved it more than anyone else in the whole school. Yet he had never met anyone nearly as infuriating as that retched thing that became fixated on him for who knows why. Not once in his life had he meet someone he despised as much as her. He would much rather be stranded on an island with everyone else in his class than that thing that he couldn't get off of his heel.

At least some of the people in the class were tolerable. Sure some were more annoying than others, but it didn't mean all of them would be useless. Her though, he would much rather kill her in an extremely violent manner and become friends with a damn volleyball. Granted, he had no reason to be friends with a lifeless being nor kill a person because she aggravated him so much. Even so he would rather go insane with loneliness than be stuck with her as his only companion. Besides, she would be totally useless in a survival situation. Outside of being bait, he would have absolutely no use for her.

How Naegi could stomach to talk with her was beyond him. He understood that boy was kind to a fault, but even the kindness of people shouldn't be forced to deal with it. It is expected that generous people will be taken advantage of, but being around that girl was too cruel for any decent person. The brunette was one of the few people he could put up with, but when he saw him chatting with the maddening stalker he wanted to smack the boy back to his senses. To take him to the best psychiatrist that money could buy to see just what was wrong with him to want to be friends with such an exasperating person. At times it was nice for him to distract the certain, but he still just couldn't comprehend why any normal functioning human would want her around. How could he have a conversation with someone who had an obsession with a person she doesn't know? What else could she possibly talk about considering all he ever saw her doing was following him around? Books and writing perhaps, but he couldn't see her talking about anything else.

As he approached his class he saw the damnable thing entering the room slowly, her head lowered like some quivering animal afraid of being attacked by a wolf. She would always get there early just so she could stare at him with disturbingly lustful eyes as twisted fantasies swirled around her mind. His desire to be there promptly on time would be the cause for his head to receive many unwanted stares. It made reading anything feel immensely uncomfortable, and no matter how much he would tell her off, she just couldn't comprehend its meaning. How anyone could be so stupid yet so well versed in writing was beyond him.

After walking up to the door, he pushed up his glasses and with his usual pride swirling around his stomach, he slide it open. He was determined to do anything to get her away from him, and he would be damned if this doesn't work. As if on cue the monstrosity who was sitting in the middle of the third row turned her head over with a twisted delight. God did he hate her smile, everything about it just remained him how screwed up poor people could end up being if no one gave them the proper medical treatment.

He would normally eye daggers at her and insult her with whatever came to him at that moment and walk to his seat in the front of the classroom. After such words, he would pull out a book and wait for Naegi to do him a favor and distract the beast from staring at him the whole time. At least he didn't have to sit next to her. Instead, he walked straight up to the damn thing who looked like some deranged preteen at a concert who got up and close to her favorite pop idol. Dear lord was that just pathetic. Seeing someone his age acting like a crazed fan was just disturbing. How could someone so close to adulthood become an obsessive fan girl?

"B-Byakuya-sama! Wh-wh-what do you n-n-need from me?!" she stuttered with delight as her eyes perked up as if she was just handed a billion yen. The thing was playing with her greasy braids while looking at him with a deranged smile that he hated immensely. Not only was she annoying and lacked common sense, she didn't understand what personal hygiene meant.

"Listen good you foolish girl," he started off, his voice stern and eyes frozen with hate, "Time and time again I tell you to go far away. To leave me alone forever. To go stalk someone else who may enjoy it. To stop breathing and die a pathetic death befitting scum such as yourself."

As expected, she didn't seemed fazed by his words. She just looked happy at his insults, as if his words was what she associated with affection. That it meant he gave a shit about her existence, "Yet not once have you listened to me. I've tried being civil. I've tried being cruel. No matter what I do, you just don't understand what I mean. You don't even listen to Naegi, the only person who puts up with your absurdity, to just stay with him and leave me alone for the rest of our years here. As such, I've decided to give you once last chance."

"Wh-what do you mean B- Byakuya-sama?" she asked, obviously confused by what he was saying. Her eyes were shaking from the uncertainty in her future stalking and obsessing practices. No that he was surprised, she never seemed to be able to understand anything he would say. Everything he said was clear and easy to comprehend, yet she somehow just never understood it. Even Owada could grasp his complaints he directed at the girl, and he is an utter idiot when it came to doing anything school realted.

"Simply put, I will absolutely destroy your career if this keeps up," and there was the first time he saw a normal reaction from the insufferable thing. Her face lost its color slightly, her still shaking eyes widening in surprise. Now she didn't expect this sort of declaration, and he couldn't help but enjoy the dread building up in her body. It was nice to have some revenge.

"I will make sure that no publisher will ever release any of your books. No matter how good it may be, no matter how much money it could make, it will not see a life on any bookshelves. And mark my words, if they even try to publish it, my family will go after them. As you should understand, the Togami family has some form of control in almost everything that goes on in this country. We could easily destroy a whole entire company from the inside and transform it into something we would prefer. We could also threaten any company that may take actions we don't approve of, or we could even bribe them. So for someone such as myself, it would be no trouble at all to ruin everything single thing you have worked for."

There was complete silence after that. She didn't speak a single word in protest. All she could do was stare at him, her whole body shaking as she allowed those words to sink into her skin and flow into her blood. Despite her idiocy, the girl knew what his words truly meant. Perhaps she had deluded herself into thinking that his words of insult where words of kindness because of some sort of issue in her psyche? Whatever the cause, it was of no concern to him. He had no reason to care about her problems when she was a problem in his life. He said what he needed, and if it works, then all will be good.

While he continued to look down at the girl, his eyes didn't lighten up and the words continued to flow like an icy breeze, "So these are your options. You can continue to harass me, and then me and my family will go straight up to your editor, publisher, and anyone else involved with your writing. We'll make it extremely clear to them that if they continue to work with you, my family will do whatever it can do screw them over. If it means having them lose sponsors, having writers move to a different publisher, you name it, the Togami family can do it. Perhaps we'll even give them a generous donation to convince them they have no use for you and whatever nonsense you decide to spew out on paper. Then if you try to go anywhere else, my family will do the same thing, risen and repeat."

She yet again said nothing. She just stared at him, the shock evident on her face. It was as if she had no idea how to respond to such a threat. That she couldn't decide what was more important at that moment, her obsession or her career. Not that it mattered to him really, because in the end he'll either be rid of the nuisance or he'll destroy everything she had worked for. He'll either be free of her, or she could follow him around as he relished in her vocation crumbling all thanks to his family's ties.

"I see you are unable to respond," he continued with a victory smirk, "Then I hope you understand the situation. Truly, you can only blame yourself for this. If you used that brain from the start and understood that I wanted you gone, you wouldn't be in this situation. I guess some people are just far too foolish to understand their own language when they are blinded by delusions."

With those final words, he turned his back towards the girl and walked back to his seat. When he sat down he couldn't help but smile widely. He had finally put that retched girl in her place. What another wonderful thing about being a Togami, he could threaten people to do as he pleased with a simple threat. His family had ties with almost everything in Japan, so they could easily get an audience with the head of a company and make them crumble under his family's power. It could take months, or just days depending on who they were dealing with. A publishing company couldn't be too much trouble to deal with. Why he didn't think of this plan in the first place is beyond him. He could have been done with her months ago if he put more thought into it. Alas, at least he can be given his much needed rest away from that thing. He couldn't remember the last time he could constantly walk around and not end up with someone following him around like some stray puppy.

_"There are many things wrong with that girl, but even someone like her can't be foolish enough to toss away everything she has worked for. No one in their right mind would allow themselves to destroy their future over a person they don't even know. This should be enough to keep her away from me,"_ he thought with a sense of glory. Soon enough he would have some much needed peace. Without much of a care about the person behind him, he pulled a book out of his desk and starting to read. It was truly wonderful to be able to read and not feel someone staring at you.  


* * *

As the students started to pull into the room, the volume just continued to grow. Their footsteps echoing off the flooring and slamming against the walls. Their carefree voices pirouetting off of each other, and meshing together like a colleague of a typical school life. The very things that went on every day at the academy. All the while the wind blew against the windows, shaking them lightly as the trees swayed and brown leaves danced.

Yet the noise in Fukawa's mind was louder then all of that combined. Everything they were saying and doing was drowned out by her mind. The words Togami left her with were buzzing all around her like gigantic insects. No matter how hard she tried to focus on something else, anything else, she couldn't stop hearing it. She just heard it repeat, again and again. That he would destroy the only thing she put her soul into. She couldn't stop seeing the characters for destroy. They were flashing inside of her mind, covered in a red shade. They were so intense she could have sworn they were trying to give her a seizure. That couldn't kill her, right?  
She was blind and deaf to the world around her. She was caught up in an illusion engulfing her body and mind all the while destroying her. All she could see were those damn characters dyed a crimson red. She couldn't tell she was shaking in her seat, nor how her eyes where widen with fright. All she could see was the blackened world collapsing onto her and destroying the only thing that had ever gave her worth. The only thing that allowed her to believe that her life was worth something. The only thing that kept her from truly delving into the madness that was twirling inside her own mind.

It was there, amongst people who had no idea of her problems, that the loose folds of her mind started to unravel. It was there were Fukawa couldn't stop thinking that she'll be destroyed by those foreboding words. That if she couldn't write nor be allowed to follow the one person who treated her like the shit she is, what was the point of her existence?


	2. Deterioration

Ever since she was small, she was told she had no value to the world. Her parents, be the ones who contributed their DNA to her creation or the other woman she was supposed to accept as another mother, cared very little about her. Perhaps it was because they didn’t want a child around the house. Maybe it was because she could be considered an accident after a steamy night of debauchery, something neither of her birth parents intended. It could just be because they were polygamists whose morals weren’t in line with the rest of the society they resided in. No matter what the reason could be, she would always remember being told she wouldn’t accomplish anything in life. That she would merely exist untill she faded away into oblivion.

That of course turned out to be a lie thanks to some superior being or just the role of the die. When people besides her teachers started to take note of her skill, her parents changed their view slightly. From hearing “you’re a useless child,” to, “your only worth is your writing,” every few days. Even though her fellow students didn’t care for her writing and found their joy from tormenting her, hearing something nice from the people of her household was appreciative. It gave her a small sense of worth that it was alright for her to be alive if people would enjoy her writing. Sure, she knew they wouldn’t want anything to do with the author herself because of her lack of social skills and odd behavior. She believed that people were better off staying far away from her due to her slew of problems. That was alright though, since it gave her something to do besides sitting in a room reading or staring blankly out of the window.

Yet when she heard those vindictive word from the person of her current obsession, she couldn’t help but think she would lose everything. That the life she built up for herself would be destroyed and sent back to where it came. Back to that dreary life of no one caring about anything she did. Her family would have no use for her if they couldn’t get any money out of her. They certainly enjoyed the extra cash they would get their paws on when her royalties came in. It wasn’t like she could tell them to back off; if she tried who knows what they would do to her. They also got the chance to brag about having a child author to the people in the neighborhood or in some random bookstore. It was another way to push their sense of superiority onto others. Granted if anyone would actually want to listen to their rambles. They would just go back to saying that she was worthless, a child who couldn’t do anything. If that was the case, would the abuse get worse? They were no angels by any means, and they had no problem slewing strings of curse words to her face if they hadn’t already slapped her for whatever reason.

In all retrospect, the treatment she received from them combined together with the harsh words and behaviors of children was the very reason she was so messed up in the first place. Being in a home where the inhabitants knew no sense of kindness to a child and a school where children would do what they pleased was the cause of everything. If they had been better people, would she be able to converse better? Would she had not develop an obsession with the very people who talked down on her? To surround herself in the very same presence she hated when she had to live with her family? There were so many what ifs about the unfortunate scenario called her life she could write hundreds of stories about a life that would have been kinder to her.

Even so, thinking about what ifs wouldn’t change anything. It allowed her to escape the harsh words and hands that wandered where ever they pleased. A way to forget the malicious things the other children did to her. All of those what ifs gave her something that told her, “you have worth,” again and again. Yet if she couldn’t do what she loved, what could she do? She couldn’t hold a normal job where one needed charisma to get through the day. She needed her general solitude, the thing that gave her comfort of the familiarity of loneliness. She could deal with the select few who would look over and publish her work. There was no way in hell she could do something that required constant human interaction. Without her writing, what type of future would she have? Would she just go mad? Scratch that, would she become madder? Would she surround herself with her works that no one would read because she felt she needed to be in her obsessions company?

She knew that liking a person who showed no general kindness to her was foolish. Why would someone who wanted her gone want anything to do with her beyond mere acquaintances? She wrote romance yet she couldn’t understand that when a person declared their upmost hatred of her, they didn’t secretly care about her. Her life wasn’t some anime where the romantic interest just happened to be a tsundere character who just acted like he hated her.

She understood that in books romance was a bond forged by two people through life and challenges. What she envisioned was nothing of the sort. She sometimes could act like a prude when it comes to human interactions because her imagination would get the best of her. She would imagine that the cruel prince acted in such a way simply because it was his way of showing his affection. Simply put, she was a fool who dreamed of those hot males declaring their love to her in a masochist way and sweeping her to parts unknown. Then her mind would be filled with raunchy imagery that would be found in trashy romance novels. It was just a part of her life that kept her going, both physically and in terms of her writings. Without her delusions, her writing process would be shot to hell and likely wouldn’t come back.

So when she would imagine losing her worth of writing, what would be left of her existence? She would always stalk the heir from afar, admire his looks and class that she dreamed would govern her being. To declare she was meant to be on the bottom of the food chain and dominated by those who were greater than her. Then she would go forth her gloomy way and write to her hearts content until Genocider would pop up and do whatever a fragmented personality does. Be it murder, or be it being an overall nuisance in her already fragile mental state. If she would lose that, what else would there be for her to do? It wasn’t like she could do anything else.

It would be the smart move to leave him alone, but then the sense of satisfaction of being insulated while deluding herself would be gone. It wasn’t like she could follow anyone else around and get the same feelings. There were no males in the area that gave off the same air as him. Yet, her writing was just as important, and it really was the only thing keeping her going. Without it, she would be useless once more to the people who had barely ever cared about her. Yet she believed full heartedly that she needed to be insulted to keep the words flowing.

This dilemma was hers and hers alone. Anyone in a normal state of mind wouldn’t have done the things she had done. They would have done their work and leave people alone who had no interest in them. Yet her mind was twisted into thinking she needed those people in her life to continue writing. That because of the things she dealt with in her home life twisted her mind so extensively into believing she needed that treatment to keep on living. Those two aspects was a part of her, the abuse she would hear would keep her writing. The abuse of her family was what allowed her to escape her pain all the while mastering her skill. If one would take away one part of her process, what would she do? Would the same feelings be spread to the readers? Would the readers even like anything else? Would her writing mean anything if she couldn’t delude herself while being trapped in abusive words and actions?

So her mind raced with the word destroy. It was loud, just so damn loud. If an explosion went off, would she hear it? Would any of her classmates try to help her to escape if a terrorist was attacking them? Would they save her or let her die in a fiery storm of destruction and shrapnel? Would anyone even care if she died? Would it even matter? Would this cruel world let her hear and see anything besides destruction?

Destroy was all she could see. Without the two aspects of her life, mistreatment and publishing, what would become of her? Would anything justify her living, especially with the things Syo had done? She believed that she could justify her life; that her work entertained more people than killed by the fragmentation. That by bringing people happiness with emotionally filled words and powerful characters could somehow redeem the actions the other personality had committed on those unfortunate men. Yet if she couldn’t continue living as she had been, what would happen? It wasn’t like she could go along with change without any trouble.

“…?”

What could she do? What can she do? She knew of her folly, yet she couldn’t overcome it. It was like being an addict. No matter how much the person knew it could kill them, they just can’t stop because it’s what keeps them going. Without it, they would slow down, crumble from withdraw, and without any help, surely go mad. Without it, what was their worth to the world?

“…?”

God does she feel sick. Being trapped in a never ending dark abyss could be considered some sort of hell. She wants to run away and hide. To be far away from that darkness. Especially since she doesn’t want to see that word any more. She doesn’t want to hear that aggravating pitch. She doesn’t want things to change. She doesn’t want to be ignored. She wants someone to see her. Even though she’s shit, she wants someone to acknowledge her existence!

“…awa?”

She hates people being malicious to her, yet without it, would anyone even see her? Would anyone even know she’s alive if she didn’t make herself look like a total dumb piece shit?! The insults reminded her someone saw her, and that allowed her to write. Without that, then what?! It be like she was a ghost, the student who’s meant to be there but no one wants to acknowledge! She doesn’t want to be a person who lives but isn’t seen! Wouldn’t that be a fate worse than death?!

“Fukawa?” spoke a voice that invaded her delusional and deteriorating mind. Whose voice was that? How did it break through the walls of her raging mind? She could hear it, yet the buzzing was still ringing with persistence. It just didn’t want to leave her alone.

“What’s wrong Fukawa?” the voice continued on. It was soft and familiar. The type of voice that would help anyone out in times of trouble. A voice that could drown out destruction with its gentle tone. A voice she was used to, but just couldn’t decipher because of that noise.

“What happened? You don’t seem like yourself,” the voice spoke. The tone was so different than the others who she dealt with. The type of kindness she barely knew, something she wrote about but had no experience with. Something she wanted, but was afraid to get close to. She didn’t want to destroy that kindness.

Suddenly with a slight pressure being applied to her shoulder, she snapped back to the real world. The ringing faded away with the darkness of her delusional mind as she saw her fellow students within the classroom doing their thing. Everything looked the same. The desks where aligned like normal and people were scattered about. The windows where in its proper place, and the season was the same as it was before she faded into the depths of her mind. The chalk board was the same, neat and clean until class ended. The noise was the same, upbeat and familiar. Even though her brain had stopped processing this world, it carried on the same. If she wasn’t there at all, would it still be the same? Probably. Would people out flowers on her desk? Probably not.

She then turned her head, and the voice of the person who brought her out of her mind was staring down at her. He was standing by at her desk, eyes as gentle as ever with an unusual mixture of concern. Funny, people normally never cared much about her physical or mental state. Her parents certainly didn’t. Yet as customary of the boy, Naegi seemed to want to know what was troubling her. Somehow when she was caught up in her thoughts, she forgot he even existed. That was certainly rude of her.

“What happened Fukawa? You can trust me, remember?” he spoke ever so sweetly. He’s such a sweet person. It was that kindness that brought her back to this world. Yet she couldn’t determine which world was worse. Her inner thoughts filled of self-loathing and expectations of the worst or the world where she actually had to live in. Well, at least this world wasn’t constantly filled with never ending darkness and high pitch noises.

“Naegi? What’s wrong with her? Does she feel sick or something?” that time it was the ever energetic Asahina. The swimmer had walked up to his left side, also showing concern for the writer who had many problems. The girl who had reminded her of a chipmunk was persistent in trying to include her things despite her consistent declines. It was like she couldn’t understand the word no. Perhaps all that sugar was to blame?

“I don’t know, she won’t say anything. She was spacing out while quivering badly, so I thought something happened. I got her to look at me, but that’s about it,” he replied back, his head turned ever so slightly, while his hand still lingered on her shoulder. It was certainly a warm feeling, something she barely understands. He was worried, ever so like him.

It was odd, yet comforting. People showing concern for her was nice, even though she wasn’t accustomed to it. He wanted to know her problems. He wanted to help her. He wanted her to open up and trust him. It was the same as ever. Why he decided to befriend her was hard to comprehend. Many, many times she believed he just wanted to make fun of her. That he would be like the other boys who put up that farce just so they could screw with her. No matter how many times she believed he would do the same thing, it never happened. He was always so kind to her. He always placed his hand out to her, yet she had never truly grasped it.

“Naegi leave her alone. You should know by now that you’ll never get a proper sentence out of her mouth that isn’t lewd or plain gibberish,” spoke Togami from his seat. His back was turned, yet his words where as cold and curt as ever. One could easily assume his eyes were just as cold, glazed over with a curtain of ice.

“What do you mean Togami?” asked Naegi, unsure of the true situation at hand. He turned his head to the heirs back and continued, “She can talk just fine. What’s so wrong about me wanting to help her?” His voice was steady, yet a small hint of annoyance could be detected. Naegi wasn’t the type who would get mad over nothing. If it involved his friends or family, he could get mad. Anything else, not so much.

He turned his back and head around so he could see the brunette while his book was being held in his hand, “I think that you need the help Naegi. You know she’s far beyond salvaging, so what’s the point? She can’t seem to understand simple words when I tell her to leave me alone, so why would she understand anything you say?”

“You have something to do with this, don’t you! You, you,” yelled Asahina, who had never been much of a fan of the heir. She was overly friendly while he was overly anti-people. So it wasn’t a surprise their personalities would clash.

“You mean asshole, right? Come on, tell us something we don’t already know! Just one look at the guy and even a little kid could figure out he’s a pompous ass who thinks he’s better than everyone else!” declared Owada from the top right of the room by the door. He was leaning his back against the wall, arms crossed, and eyeing the heir. He too didn’t like him much. It was more on the grounds of him being a self-absorbed asshole who viewed himself better than the rest of them rather than because he didn’t like people.

“Please, calm down! This is no place for fighting! We must all get along as expected in a school environment! If there are any problems, it can be settled in a calm and respectful manner! If necessary, I can get a teacher to help solve this problem appropriately!” declared Ishimaru who had stood up from his desk and then turned his head over to his companion against the wall, “We do not need to convert to name calling,” and then his head turned to Togami, “The same goes for you.”

The combination was odd, because one enjoyed breaking the law while the other enjoyed enforcing it. Despite their differences, the two had bonded over some manly steam contest of endurance or other. Fukawa wasn’t aware of the details, but her mind couldn’t help but think that something more was going on between the two. That, or she could just making assumptions on what she would think would be hot rather than what was truly going on. She could be really simple minded at times.

“I don’t think pointing out someone’s personality counts as name calling pal,” he muttered in an annoyed tone, “And come on, don’t spoil this. How often do we get to see anyone argue in this place huh? It can get rather boring around here in terms of disagreement.”

“This is not-”

“This is not welcomed in a school environment. We know that, but that’s the very reason why this is interesting! Come on, take that stick out of your ass for once and enjoy the bickering. I can’t be the only one who wants to see that smug ass get put into place for once by us commoners,” explained Owada in a conceited voice, obviously unafraid to voice his detest.

“Guys, please don’t fight,” spoke Fujisaki who obviously wanted there to be peace among the members of the trio, “We should just try to find out what’s wrong with Fukawa, not fight with each other, okay?”

Then there was the final member of the group. The smallest of the bunch was standing in front of Ishimaru’s desk, hands quivering slightly from the bickering and head somewhat lowered. How Fujisaki fitted into the combination was another oddity Fukawa couldn’t understand. The child seemed far too quiet and reserved to fit with the other rather loud fellows.

“And as I said,” began Togami once more in the same cold voice as he redirected his head towards the small programmer, “good luck getting anything out of her mouth that isn’t gibberish. If you could create a program that could translate the things we say to her into her odd version of Japanese that would be extremely appreciated Fujisaki.”

“Well I can understand her perfectly fine Togami,” pushed in Naegi, who didn’t seem thrilled with the situation. For someone who always seemed calm and wanted amity, he didn’t seem to mind to show some form of annoyance when his friends were in trouble. That was such a rare sight, yet an interesting one to see.

Yet again Fukawa wondered why he wanted to be her friend in the first place. She couldn’t speak well, had to smell, and was an overall uninteresting person. All she ever talked about was her stories, or the occasional past event he managed to magically pry from her mouth. She still couldn’t comprehend why she would even tell him such things in the first place. So why was he always trying to help her? She didn’t deserve such kind treatment.

“Then good luck to you Naegi,” was all Togami said before returning his body forward and his gaze falling to his book, “I hope you still have your sanity by the time you’re done trying to help that sorry excuse for a human being.” He held no sympathy towards his enemy, so he needed not to keep his words to a civil level. Fukawa couldn’t blame him, it wasn’t like she hadn’t heard that before. She could understand him not liking her, she was rather annoying.

Naegi looked like he was going to snap back to the cold blond, say something one normally wouldn’t hear, but Kirigiri quickly walked in front of him to contain the situation. She spoke in her usual composed manner, “I advise you refrain from continuing this conversation. Just ignore his comments, he shouldn’t be your main concern right now Naegi.” As usual the level headed detective was trying to keep things tranquil among the students. She could also be considered anti-social to a degree. She normally wouldn’t start conversations if it didn’t involve something that interested her or if there was some sort of case open. Yet she was willing to reply if spoken to in a kind fashion.

“You’re right. There’s no point in continuing this,” he responded to the detective before returning his gaze to Fukawa. His eyes held some annoyance, yet it still seemed far to kind for her, “You can tell us Fukawa. We want to help you out, we’re your friends after all.”  
  
Friends he says. She had never had friends before, and how could they be considered so? When she tried making friends in the past, they would just betray her. She only spoke to Naegi on a regular basis. Besides the occasional attempt from Asahina for a conversation and the times she would run into Fujisaki, she talked to no one else in the class. When it came to the upperclassman, she could easily walk past them and they wouldn’t even notice her existence. With the exception of the nurse, Tsumiki, she didn’t know any of the other students.

Should she speak? Should she keep it to herself? She didn’t want to bother Naegi with her problems considering how nice he was. Yet he was giving his hand out to her as usual. He always wanted her to grasp it as a sign of her truly accepting his compassion. As a sign she was willing to have him listen to her words.  
  
“I-It’s nothing. L-leave me alone a-alright?” she finally managed to spit out, her voice ruff. She didn’t want to reach for his hand. She never did. It wasn’t because she hated him.

“What? You looked terrible moments ago, you can’t be fine,” he responded, concern mixed with surprise of her rejection. He should be used to her telling him to leave her alone by now. Not like he ever listened anyway.

“Like I said. It’s n-no big deal Naegi. I’m f-fine,” she replied, her words sounding crueler each time she spoke. She didn’t want his help, she never needed it. It wasn’t because she found him annoying, aggravating, uninteresting, or a complete bore.

“Don’t do this Fukawa, I just want to help you. You can rely on-” he spoke before she quickly cut him off.

“Shut up! Just sh-shut up and leave a-alone Naegi! I don’t need your help! I-I never ne-needed anyone’s help! So le-leave alone!” she hollered at him, her eyes deflecting his kindness with her aggravation. She couldn’t accept it. Not now. The more emotionally unstable she gets, the more likely Syo could appear. She couldn’t control her switching, no matter how much she wished she could.

“Fukawa,” he replied, his voice shacking from the intensity of her complaint. She had never snapped at him like that before, right? So of course he would be surprised. He was used to her being grumpy, but not that belligerent. He was used to her complaining but coming around after thinking about how it would be mean to ignore his kindness.

He wanted to say more, and it looked like Asahina was about to yell at her for being rude. Yet the teacher just happened to walk into class, and demanding everyone to go to their seats and prepare for the rest of the day. It wasn’t like she would even notice Fukawa’s problems. The teachers were meant to nurture the students, but they barely noticed her too. Before going to his seat, Naegi made sure to give her a look that had to read, “I’m not going to just give up and go away.” As he pulled his hand away, she quickly started to miss the warmth of it.

Of course he wouldn’t. How could he just give up after getting yelled at by the person he wanted to open up to him? He was persistent to get to know her, despite all of the times she told him to go away. He would be damned if he gave up and left her to her troubles. That’s just the person Naegi was. A person who always wanted to help others. He would try to help people even if it meant he would be placed in some sort of danger. Be it willing or unknowingly.

Even so, this was her dilemma to deal with. She had to make her decision and keep him out of it. It was her decision to make, if she would give up everything to follow her current obsession around, or write in another style. To write without taking in cruel to create delusions for the sake of her stories. To write in a way she wasn’t accustomed to at all.

More importantly, she didn’t want him to die. Genocider could show up at any moment and kill him. Syo seemed to have no qualm about going after the people she cared about, be it those of her obsession or…a friend. He really was her only friend, huh? Friends are meant to stand side by side, yet if he staid by her he could be killed. Some friend that would make her.

He didn’t deserve such a fate. He was always trying to help her, trying to make her feel less depressed about the world around her. To find some sort of light to bask in rather than being pulled back into the ringing darkness. Despite all of his compassion, she could end up accidently getting him killed. Why does bad things usually happen to good people? She would hate herself even more if that happened. She could never let go the possible image of him being bloody because he just wanted to help her. So she decided she would come to her conclusion of what to do while keeping Naegi out of it.

Under no circumstance could she let him get hurt because of her. That hand he was always putting out was something she couldn’t grab. She didn’t deserve it, no matter how tempting it is. He could end up having that very hand stabbed with a pair of scissors because he wasted his kindness on a screwed up person like her. He didn’t deserve such a fate. He deserved much better things than being close to shit like her.

* * *

He wouldn’t stand by and let her suffer. Naegi wasn’t strong. He wasn’t smart. He had no talent. His luck worked more against him than anything else. Yet what he did have was his determination to help his friends. He would help the people around him no matter how hard it may seem. He didn’t want to have the people he cared about suffer. He didn’t want his companions to bury their pain inside while he was there to give out his hand to help them overcome their challenges.

As the teacher droned on, scribbling on the chalk board as the wind blew against the windows, he planned. He would find out what had gone on. He knew something was wrong with her the moment he walked in. He would normally start a conversation with her in the morning, to see how she was doing and what not. Yet when he saw her quivering in her seat, eyes widened and looking at nothing in particular, he just knew something was wrong with her. He couldn’t explain why that was, but he knew something had to happen in between the time he talk with her the previous night and that moment. It could because of an event or a person, and he was determined to figure it out.

He was accustomed to her not wanting to tell him things. He knew Fukawa was cautious around people. He had no explanation nor any idea why. Despite that he would still try his best. He would get her to open up and tell him what was eating away at her. She would tell him to leave him alone, but he wouldn’t go. Naegi couldn’t help but want to help someone who needed a friend to help her out.

At times he was successful. He would get her to tell him things form her past. Things that no one deserved to go through. Things that explained why she was afraid of people. Even though she would yell at him for making her remember those horrible things, she would always continue talking to him. So he was sure that despite her protests, she truly wanted someone to talk with. A person she could trust. A person who accepted her.

So there Naegi came to the conclusion he would do whatever it took to help Fukawa. She was reclusive, had a bad obsession with Togami, and wanted to keep every other human away from her. He managed to get close to her despite all of her protests, despite all the times she told him off. Even so he carried on, and would continue to do so. He wouldn’t abandon her, no matter what hurdle came flying in his way.


	3. Resolve

If someone had to describe Naegi in a single word, compassionate would be the first thing that would come to their mind. Ever since he was a small child, all he wanted to do was help people in need. It wasn’t because he wanted to be seen as a hero or anything. He didn’t want people to look up to him and see him as some great person just because he was helpful. He just wanted to support other people who needed it. He couldn’t stand to see other people being hurt or alone when he knew he could help them out in some manner. Even the simplest of actions would be better than doing nothing at all.

If he was in the playground and someone fell over, he would give his hand out to help. If someone was lost, he would try to get them to where they needed to be. If it was a kid, he would stay with the little fellow until the parents were found. If someone was looking for their pet, he would be helping out. It didn’t matter if he knew the person or not. All he ever wanted to do was help other people simply because he thought it was the right thing to do. He knew that his kindness could one day be taken advantage of, but it didn’t stop him. He would do whatever he could, and if something happened to him, then oh well. All he cared about was helping someone who needed it no matter what the cost.

The very same thing can be applied to Fukawa. When they started school in the spring, she wanted nothing to do with the rest of the class. She was horrified of other people, and wanted them to stay away from her. It was if they had all contracted some deadly disease and she wanted to remain unaffected by staying away from them. No matter how hard some of the students would try to get her involved with certain activities, she would tell them off. She would snap at them, say she didn’t want anything to do with them. Say how they would just betray her. That they would make her look like a fool for the sake of their selfish entertainment. So others started to leave her be just like she asked. To let her bathe in the loneliness she so desperately clung to. The thing that she believed would get her through life because she couldn’t trust others. She didn’t want to let others in, and would do whatever she could to make sure people didn’t get near her. She never wanted people to get close because she was afraid of them.

That though didn’t stop Naegi from getting to know her. Despite the many times she told him to leave her alone, he would just keep on coming back. No matter how cruel she tried to be to him, it didn’t stop him. Her words weren’t something he would label as insensitive. It was more like a mechanism to protect herself. If she didn’t sound mean, people wouldn’t leave her alone. They would continue to try to befriend her, to help out the lonely girl who could fade into the background and be forgotten about. To her, it was like she automatically connected people with betrayal, even if she had nothing to prove it with. She wasn’t accustomed to any form of kindness, so she wanted to keep it away from her because it was a foreign entity that could change her way of life.

Even so, no matter how unaccustomed she was to kindness, she eventually broke down. Bit by bit, the glass walls that surrounded her began to slowly crack. After all, if someone keeps on hitting glass, it’s bound to shatter someday. It’s something she may or may not be aware of. That his will finally got through and even though she didn’t quite understand it, she unconsciously started to accept it. She started to enjoy their conversations, and began to tell him things about her past. Things she wouldn’t dare tell to anyone else in the whole world. He would sometimes even catch her with a small-nearly invisible to the untrained eye-smile, something no one thought could be possible with her behavior. Hell, she would let him into her room to talk every once in a while, something others weren’t permitted to do. She would sometimes go up to him and start a conversation, instead of waiting for him to be the one to start it. She would on occasion eat with him during lunch, and sometimes wouldn’t run off to hide in the library.

All of those things where proof enough that the lonely Fukawa really didn’t want to be alone anymore. That she truly wanted a friend to trust, to have listen to her, and over all care about her wellbeing. That no matter how much she complained, yelled, and demanded to have him leave her alone, it was just a lie. A lie she wanted to believe in so desperately. It was as if she was in denial; denying the simple fact she had someone to stand by her side when she needed it. Denying the fact Naegi was willing to do anything to help her overcome her problems.

He was willing to do anything to help her out, no matter how often Togami told him his efforts would be in vain. No matter how many times his classmate would tell him it was a hopeless endeavor, he just wouldn’t listen. He knew that the heir was trying to help him out in his own way, but nothing he said was going to make him stop trying to help her when she needed it the most. It wasn’t because he pitied her, or wanted her to be grateful and admire him like she does far too often with Togami. All he wanted her to do was to call him her friend, to let him know when she was troubled. To let him stay by her side and help her when she needed it. To be someone who understood her when so many others couldn’t. No matter the person, they should have at least someone to relay on when they have a problem.

That was why he would do whatever he could to help her. That was why his mind was occupied by different thoughts during class. No matter what he was meant to be learning at that moment, he couldn’t keep his eyes on the board. He needed to help her, and school could be placed on hold for the time being. One could always go and do their school work at a later point. Helping someone in need was something that couldn’t be placed on hold. If he waited too long to address the problem before him, couldn’t it just get worse? That was something he couldn’t allow no matter what.

So he decided he had to confront her head on. He wasn’t the most confident person in the world, nor was he like those hot-blooded protagonists in manga that would go charging in to help a friend without a single waver of weakness. He never liked over stepping his boundaries with others, and tended to be softer around people than headstrong. He always took his time rather than rushing in and demanding an answer from someone. He would stay by their side and would wait for them to take action and speak up. In his current situation though, being blunt may be the only way to get her to open up considering how stubborn she was. He couldn’t just wait for her to come to him and open up when she was so adamant about him leaving her alone. If he didn’t do anything, wouldn’t she go mad with keeping her pain inside?

So, Naegi came up with a game plan. It may not be the best thing in the world, but it was better than do nothing at all. First, he would go up to her and ask calmly what was bothering her and then say he was willing to listen. If she wouldn’t cooperate with him, he would just follow her around until she finally opened up. No matter how annoyed she would get, leaving her alone may not solve anything this time. He got her to open up to him by following a similar process before, so who’s to say she won’t do the same thing once more? Sure, he left her alone for a bit before he tried, but he couldn’t take his time. Things could just get worse for the writer.

People may say they won’t do something, but with a weak resolve they crumble and repeat the very thing again and again. It’s something that a person could fall into and they may not even notice they are doing the very thing they protested to. Maybe because they are enjoying themselves too much, or because they are trying to forget they are even doing it. People are hypocrites most of the time after all. He may not know what caused her to become so distraught, but it wouldn’t hinder him. He would find a way to the truth of the matter, and help her out no matter how much she protested. That’s the type of person he is after all.

Then came the sound he had been waiting for since class started. A familiar ringing of dings spread throughout the school building. It was the signal that they could go to lunch, be it the cafeteria, outside, or wherever they pleased. The academy’s rules weren’t very strict, so the students could go where they pleased as long as they managed to come back on time. The usual clanking went off as people pulled away from their desks, and the audio raised as the students began to talk with one another. Naegi quickly twisted his head over to Fukawa. With her usual scowl plastered on her face, she swiftly stood up from her desk and tried retreat before he could carry out his attack. Her withdrawal though was thwarted before she could have even left the space of her desk. Asahina shot in front of her like some sort of bullet to prevent her from going anywhere. Fukawa looked around, desperately looking for an opening, but knew she couldn’t get passed Asahina. She could take down Fukawa without even having to try.

The bubbly girl shared his opinion that Fukawa needed to open up more and have some friends. Though her attempts continuously failed at trying to gain the writer’s trust, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t try to help Fukawa when it seemed like she needed it. The swimmer was a generally friendly person, but she lacked control at times so that energy clashed with the writer’s generally depressed mood. So his rather calm demeanor and seemingly never ending patience was a better fit.

“Naegi, I got her cornered! Come on over and do your thing!” she declared cheerfully, her eyes remaining on Fukawa who looked more confused than anything else. She wanted to say something, but seemed to be unable to find the right words she needed to get her thoughts across.

Within a few seconds Naegi approached the girls and looked at Fukawa with a soft gaze. She returned his gaze much to his own surprise. He stretched his hand out to her, something he tended to do as a sign of friendship. Most of the students in the class had already left the room by that time. Some had ran off to the cafeteria, others to their lunch spot, and only a few were lingering. Those people were probably interested to see what was going to happen next.

“I know you told me to leave you alone, but you know that I wouldn’t,” he stated in his normal tone. It was something she couldn’t have been blind to. He kept on coming back no matter how many times she told him off. As time went on, she started to accept his continuous returns even after telling him to leave her alone. Fukawa seemed to be the person to say one cruel thing, but in the end go back on it as she became more comfortable around him. As if she really didn’t want to be mean, or really wanted his kindness no matter how much she told herself she didn’t need it. Why she thought like that though, he had no theory.

“W-w-why are you telling me s-something I already know?” she retorted, her resolve clearly crumbling away. That is of course if she had any true determination in the first place. No matter what she would tell herself, she tended to go back on her word because she couldn’t resist its mystical allure. Either that, or she had no trust in herself to believe she would be able to carry out that resolve. That no matter how much she swore she would do something, she just couldn’t do it for some reason or another.

“Because I know you know. I just wanted to have you say it out loud,” he replied, trying not to sound witty or arrogant. If he wouldn’t have said anything, she wouldn’t have said anything either. They could have just stared at each other the whole time, waiting for the other to say something.

She looked away to the floor that time, with a tinge of irritation dancing over her face. She obviously wasn’t thrilled by his statement, “Naegi. Wh-why can’t you just-”

“Because you’re my friend Fukawa,” he quickly cut into her into her statement as if his words were powerful bullets, “No matter how much you try to avoid me or tell me to go away, I won’t. You can’t avoid me forever, because we do have the same classes and live in the same building. I can’t just let my friend suffer from something while watching and pretending it’s nothing. What type of person would that make me if I didn’t help my friend when she needed it the most?”

She dug her fingers into her palm while also biting her lip roughly. Her face also looked rather frightening that it could cause little kids to run away screaming for their mothers. It seemed like she was trying to think of a retort to convince him to go, yet nothing could come to her mind. It seemed like she was pulling nothing but blanks no matter how hard she raked her brain. Naegi wasn’t the smartest person in the world, but he could see she had no way to convince him otherwise that she didn’t need him. His resolve was shown to her, and no matter how cruel she would be, she couldn’t get rid of him. Though he couldn’t tell if she really was pissed at him, or was just trying to make it seem like she didn’t want him around. Fukawa at times was sometimes as confusing as those unreliable narrators in novels. They act in one way, but really want something different or don’t even know what they want at all.

She looked straight up at him and mumbled so lightly that he could barely hear her, “Fine.” It took her a few moments to speak again, but much louder than before, “I-I’ll go with you, but you better n-not think its b-because I need your help! I’m j-just doing this to g-get you to leave me alone later!” and of course she didn’t take his hand. He was lucky that she deiced to even look at him. Though he isn’t surprised she snapped at him.

He gave her a light smile despite her grievances before turning his head over to Asahina to say his thanks for cornering Fukawa. If she would have gotten away, he was sure his bad luck would have kicked in and prevented him from talking to her. She replied happily and wished him good luck before running off. It also gave him the chance to look around the room, and it seemed there was no one left except them. His gaze then returned back to Fukawa. She said she didn’t want to speak with him or need him, but her resolve wasn’t strong enough. No matter what she told herself, she really did want to relay on him. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she wouldn’t be able to ignore him like she wanted to. They were too far along this path to just turn around and act like they both didn’t know or wanted to be with each other.

“Alright then,” with those simple yet caring words, he reached out and grabbed her right hand. He could feel the callouses from her continuous writing as he gave it a light, comforting squeeze. He pondered for a moment, how many hours did she spend working hard to have her hand like this? He still didn’t know why she writes besides the fact she’s good at it. Though he does know that in the time he has gotten to know her, he had gotten rather adept at handling her. She never did reach out to him, but she had trouble pushing him away from her. She gotten so accustomed to his company after all, and no matter how hard she tried to deny it, it would be obvious to him.

She looked down at his hand, unsure of what she should do. Perhaps she wanted to pull it away, run off, and tell him to go away and never come back. Perhaps another part of her wanted to tell him everything, to get everything out in the open rather than hiding it all deep within her mind. She couldn’t determine if she really wanted to stay alone or have someone to relay on. She was accustomed to people not noticing her existence, but he changed everything for her. Over all, he could say she was a very indecisive person who didn’t know what she wanted out of people and possbily .

“So, where do you want to go to Fukawa? Some place quite I guess?” he asked kindly, refraining from commenting how he was going to get her to open up some way. She didn’t like crowds, so the best place was somewhere away from curious or scornful eyes. The events from earlier would make things worse if people decided to eavesdrop on them out of natural curiosity. He wanted her to open up to him in a place where she would feel comfortable, so secluded was the best option. A place where she wouldn’t have to worry about things again and again.

“The rooftop,” she said without looking away from the hand holding hers. Her voice didn’t hold much strength to it, as if she couldn’t make up her mind about something. The students were permitted to go to the roof, but it wasn’t common place to go. They could go anywhere they pleased more or less, so what was the point of staying in the building? It didn’t have any form of entertainment, and it involved a good chunk of steps to walk up.

“Alright, I’m sure no one ever goes up there. So it’ll be peaceful,” he responded with a smile. Even though she wasn’t paying attention to his face, he couldn’t help himself. It was just natural for him to smile at people, and on the off chance she did see it, it could help the mood.

“Naegi?” she asked lowly, eyes glued to the same spot as if she was expecting something to happen.

“Yeah?” he continued to look at her, his height nearly matching hers.

“How l-long are you going to h-hold my hand?” she asked with an unstable voice. He could say she was embarrassed, but it seemed she was more upset about it. As if his kindness was making things worse for her without him even realizing it. Though he couldn’t comprehend how any form of kindness could possibly make things worse on a person who barely was given any in the first place.

If the situation was different, he would have pulled away, turned his flushed face while apologizing. He would have acted in the usual romantic comedy manner seen all over the place. In any normal situation he would have felt embarrassed about holding a girls hand for longer than he should have done. Though with this current circumstance, no such replay was necessary from him. He had a reason for his actions, and it was all for her sake.

“Well,” he began while feeling only slightly embarrassed, “It’s because you never reach out for mine. I’m always giving it to you, as a sign of our friendship, but you keep on rejecting it. You see it, study it as some sort of foreign object, but you never go for it. I feel like if I never reach out to yours, you’re never going to accept mine.” If he never took any action, she would have just faded away into the background. If no one tried reaching out to her, then she would be entirely alone. Even though she doesn’t reach out to him, it doesn’t mean he can just forget about her. He believes that one day she’ll take his hand herself, though it may take a while.

She was silent, though that wasn’t anything new. She tended to think about what she was going to say, going over it as if it was a story about to be given to the editor. Making sure those words where acceptable to the person before her. So he decided to break the silence and continue to speak, “I just want you to be happy Fukawa. You always push people away, even though I think you really don’t want to. That’s way I keep giving you my hand, because when you do finally reach it, it’ll mean you can accept the happiness I want you to have.”

“I guess you may find this strange, but I…” he paused for a moment, feeling his stomach turn in embarrassment. He felt his face warm up once more as he tried to push out the words he wanted her to know. In his mind it sounded natural, but aloud and with her before him, his body couldn’t help to react. It was an odd feeling to say the least, but he wouldn’t let it get the best of him. He just needed to speak loud and clear for her to understand.

“I really care about you,” he managed to say despite the odd feeling coursing through his body. A feeling he didn’t know by its name, yet something that was with him even though sometimes he wouldn’t notice it, “So I, ahh, I just want you to be happy and to let me know when something’s bothering you. I want to be able to support you when you need it, okay?”

She didn’t respond to him with a thank you or a go away I hate you, but rather a silence that really didn’t seem to want to go away. So instead of him trying to get her to speak up, he just tugged lightly on her hand and spoke, “Alright, let’s go Fukawa.” He could get her to talk when they got outside. She had no trouble complying with his words surprisingly, so he led her outside and into the hallway. Though she didn’t remove her eyes from looking downwards and whatever words that where dancing through her mind.

Though the hall they walked through remained silent with the exception of their feet, it was alright. As long as she knew he wanted to help her out, that’s all that mattered. He’ll continue to coax her to come out of that shell of solitaire one way or another. Even if that’ll take a very long time, it doesn’t mean he’ll just give up. Naegi won’t give up till he knows he managed to through to her. Then when the time comes, she’ll be able to accept his kindness and see the brighter shades of the world.

So Naegi continued to guide the girl who could have ran away if she really wanted to. He began to lead her to a silent place where she could open up to him without any prying eyes and ears. Though how likely that’ll be is entirely up to fate at the moment. It wouldn’t have been hard for her to pull away and hide somewhere. To lock herself away from the rest of humanity. So it showed that despite those protests, she was truly indecisive about what she wanted to do. That no matter what she told herself, she didn’t want to ignore his compassion by shutting herself back into that life of isolation. That she truly wanted to have some sort of human interaction.

Despite the silence, he didn’t seem to catch her mutter, “Y-you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into Naegi. You’re to kind to me for your own good. It’s comforting, yet painful all at once.”


	4. Blue Sky Afternoon

The sky that day was a clear blue, with an array of fluffy clouds floating by. Some of them looked like nothing more than a typical cluster of ice crystal, while some seemed to have morphed into odd shapes. One looked like a bear, while another one resembled a rabbit. For Naegi, looking up at the sky was always relaxing. They were something he could just stare at all day long, and he never grew tired of seeing them. Admittedly though, staring at them for too long would make him rather sleepy.

The roof was large space which gave a nice view of the other parts of the campus, along with the city. He always wanted to come here when the sun was setting, yet he never had the opportunity. He would either find himself busy with school work or conversing with friends and ended up missing out on what he thought would be a fine view. There was a railing enclosing the space rather than the usual high fencing used by other schools to prevent students from falling over or committing suicide. The likelihood for the lack of fences was because if you're a student of the academy, why would you want to kill yourself? Though the very same thing couldn't be applied to the students in the reserve course who worked and worked, yet didn't get much acknowledgement for anything they did.

Despite the fine autumn weather, the slight breeze did give him quite the chill. Luckily his trusty hoodie made it comfortable for him. Fukawa on the other hand, he wasn't sure. The two where both leaning against the wall which would lead back to the stairway. Naegi was on right side of the door with his legs crossed, while Fukawa sat on the left side with her legs pulled up to her chest along with her arms wrapped around them. Since they reached the rooftop, she hadn't said a single word. She didn't even look his way, for her eyes where fixated on the flooring before her as if they had some special power.

" _I shouldn't be surprised she isn't talking. She rarely ever starts up a conversation as it is,"_ he thought to himself as his gaze remained on the clouds above his head. He managed to get her up to the roof, but there was no grantee that she would actually say anything to him. A small sigh flowed from his mouth as he thought of what sort of action would be acceptable. He could let her stay quiet and wait for her to speak up, or try to coax her feelings out of her chest. Yet such actions may not provide the best result, but if he does so with compassion then perhaps he could get through to her.

He pulled his head away from the sky and towards the girl who seemed to spacing out to her own dimension. She usually glared at people with what he thought was a permeant scowl, yet her face told a different story. She appeared as if she was submerged in a dark, never ending sea. A sea that would block out all of reality's sounds and sights expect for the curse words she aimed at herself. He continued to stare her for a while, observing her actions thoroughly. She would twitch slightly, fingernails digging into the sleeve of her uniform, and that scowl would go from sad to irritation and then back to sorrow. From what he could tell, she was caught up in a debate that involved hating and blaming herself for some reason. Knowing her, she was probably calling herself stupid, saying she didn't need his help in any way because she was worthless.

She always seemed to do that to herself. Blocking out the world around her so she could submerge herself into her own version of hell. A never ending space were all she could do was hate on herself. To despise everything she did, and to remind herself in a sense of paranoia that things would always go wrong because she was some sort of terrible human being. No matter how often he would try to reassure her that things would be fine, she would always end up doing the same things again. It was like a never ending cycle of self-loathing and jumping to conclusions. She would continue to hate herself and distrust others despite how often he proved that nothing of the sorts would occur.

"Fukawa?" he asked in a gentle voice, trying to get her attention. Much like the event from the morning, she didn't even look over to him. He continued to call out her name, yet she was trapped into her own little dimension. She continued to stare down as her face twisted as she continued to insult herself over accepting his kindness. He didn't know just why she would act in such a way, but he did know was that he couldn't let her insult herself so much. He didn't need to hear the words to know how much she was loathing herself. Such hate shouldn't be directed to anyone, much less yourself.

He pulled up from the ground, walked over to Fukawa and stood in front of her. Though she didn't react at all, as if she couldn't see anything in the real world. He then crouched down in front of her, getting within her line of sight while once more saying her name. She jumped slightly at his sudden appearance that time, and yelled at him, "Wh-what?!"

She sounded coarse, but he just gave her a sweet smile and replied, "I was just trying to get your attention." No matter how cruel she would sound, he never allowed it to bother him. It was just the way she behaved, and he couldn't really fault her considering all the things that happened to her in the past. Events shape the people caught in them, and when things became disastrous repeatedly, one can't expect that person to behave in a benevolent manner consistently

She gave him an irritated look that was combined with a slight red tint, "Then why didn't you just call out to me? D-did you get some p-perverted kick from scaring me? D-do you have some creepy f-fetish for startling people!?"

"I did, but you weren't listening to me. It was like this morning, you were caught up in your own little world. I don't know why, but every time you start to think about something, you completely block out the real world. Also, I don't have a fetish for scaring people. I didn't mean to, so I'm sorry about that Fukawa," he explained before deciding to move back a bit and sit down in front of her. How in the world she thought that was beyond him. If anything, the random perverted comments and implications always caught him off guard. She didn't really look like the type, but he shouldn't judge people.

She turned her head away, her irritation fading away into a distant glare at the ground. He noticed she had trouble keeping eye contact when someone was trying to get her to open up. She didn't always look at people, but it occurred more when people tried to get to know her or get her involved in some sort of activity. He was waiting for her to say something, anything really, but nothing came out of her mouth.

As such, he decided to take the initiative once more and began, "What's bothering you Fukawa? You can tell me. I know I already said this, but we're friends. That's what friends do, they help each other out when they need it the most."

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing Naegi," she spat out at him, her irritation returning.

"You got that wrong Fukawa, something is definitely wrong. I'm not a genius, but I can tell when something's bothering you," he responded with a mix of confidence and concern.

"Who do y-you think you are? M-my therapist?"

"No, I'm nothing like that. You know that too by the way. I'm your friend, and I'm trying to help you. You're suffering from something, and you're keeping it all inside. You're letting it eat away at you bit by bit. You don't want to tell anyone else for some reason, even though I'm here to support you. All I want is to see you happy," he explained, his eyes staring directly at her.

She didn't reply, but her fingers once more dug into the sleeve of her uniform. By now she should be well versed in his willingness to help her out. There was no way she couldn't see it. He could tell her again and again, but she would still have already known it from how many times he had said it in the past. The problem that was present was getting her to actually accept his kindness. Knowing that something exists and truly accepting the very thing are two entirely different things.

"Y-you're really stupid Naegi," she replied before looking over to him, eyes harsh and voice sharp like a razor, "You keep on trying to h-help miserable trash like me. There is a chance y-you could g-get killed for trying to help me. You're b-better off not having a-anything to do with me." Her words where cruel, yet there was a lingering hint of disappointment seeping out from them. As if she wished things were different.

"I don't understand what you mean. How could I ever get killed by trying to help my friend?" he asked. How in the world could helping her cause him to actually die? Even though he wasn't the strongest guy in the world, he doubts trying to get a person to open up could actually inflict death. Could she just be speaking metaphorically? Writers use language to express meanings, though sometimes it's over the top. So it could just be her speaking in the terms of how she writes? That, or she could just be trying to get rid of him again.

"I'm n-no good. I'm no good at all. I'm a t-terrible person! I can't get along with p-people! Everything I do is a waste of air, a waste of space! Every time I try do something normal, it just makes people h-hate me and th-think I'm creepy! That's why they always try to make a fool out of me! I'm ugly, useless, annoying, and just a piece of shit! My very existence is a curse on this world! That's why, that's why…" she bellowed out at him. Right after that her face twisted and was screaming that she just hated herself, and how she thought her existence could actually kill him. That somehow just because she was alive, he could somehow perish in some bizarre way. Not only that, but it looked like she was going to have some sort of mental breakdown.

"Fukawa, I don't think like that at all! You aren't a terrible person what-so-ever! No matter what other people think, I won't hate you! I can't hate you because I know you're a really good person who just hasn't had any good friends! I don't understand how you think because you're a supposedly bad person, I'm going to die. No matter what happens, I'm not going to die. Nothing you are ever going to do is going to cause me to go away or die. So please stop saying things about yourself that isn't true," he spoke to her in a gentle, yet determined voice. He couldn't comprehend where that all came from, but it could be because of the day she had. Something riled her so much, that her emotions started to go wild and she just lashed out at him. This wasn't the first time, but it seemed to be the worst.

"Sh-shut up! Ju-just shut up and go away!" she screeched at him before raising her hands away from her legs and up to her head and pushing them together roughly. She then motioned her head downwards, "Just leave me alone! G-getting involved w-with me is a horrible idea! Just a terrible, horrendous, dreadful, atrocious, idea! A-appalling people like me just get benevolent people hurt! I-I-I-I don't…I don't…I d-don't w-want to h-hurt you!"

He watched as she trembled before him. Body shaking, hands digging into her skull, eyes leaking tears, and how her face just screamed how she needed to get so many things off of her chest. To let herself break out of that quite mold and yell out everything that was bothering her. To finally have someone to hear her, and comfort her rather than allowing herself to continue to throw those horrible words at herself.

Naegi took in a deep breath and then moved his body forward and grabbed Fukawa's hands and pulled them away from her head. She instantly looked up at him, and he couldn't tell if she wanted to tell him once more to screw off, or to just yell out more of the things she had been keeping within. She didn't try to pull away, but just stared at him, as if waiting to see what he had to say. As if she wanted him to comfort her, but at the same time say nothing at all.

"Fukawa, just calm down and listen to me, okay?" he asked without giving her the chance to respond, "I don't think that anything you just said is true, alright? I don't think you're a terrible person. I'm also not going to make a fool out of you because you're my friend, and no matter how much you think it's true, nothing you do will hurt me. I'm used to your language now, so no matter what you say or do is going to make me mad. So you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings or anything. I just want you to tell me when something's bothering you. I don't want to see you suffering like this, and I don't want you to keep insulating yourself. So, please just tell me what's bothering you."

She stared at him, and seemed to be rather surprised actually. Perhaps this was the first time someone was truly kind to her. He doubted other people had gotten as far as him to actually tell her to say anything on her mind to help her feel better. She must have been stunned by such an act of kindness, she couldn't properly say anything at all. Either that, or she was caught up in her own little self-loathing world once more and didn't hear a thing he just said.

She remained silent for a few seconds more before letting out an odd chuckle that caused him to turn his head in confusion. She then pulled her hands away from him to take off her large glasses so she could rub her eyes. Naegi pulled back a bit and sat back down while crossing his legs, waiting to see what she was going to do next.

"I'm stuck w-with you, huh Nagei? No-no matter what I do, you won't l-leave me alone? No matter h-how many times I-I say I hate you, that you're going to get k-killed, and h-how I'm a horrible person th-that isn't worth s-such kindness?" she asked him lowly with a smile that was caught between joy and disappointment, while also coming across as faintly disturbing.

"Yup!" he replied in a jovial voice while giving her a bright smile, "I'm not going anywhere Fukawa! No matter what you do, I'm going to follow you around like how you follow Togami around!" Though he never thought he would be saying such things. Hopefully his interest in helping her wouldn't be labeled as weird, unhealthy, obsessive stalking by his classmates.

"No wonder Byakuya-sama always seems annoyed when he sees my ugly, r-retched self," she spoke while once more hating on herself as usual. It seemed that was going to be the first thing he would need to teach her to stop doing, "I-I guess I just can't win."

He turned his head in confusion once more at her words, "What do you mean Fukawa? Also, you aren't a retched person, you're a good person." It seems he's going to be saying that a lot from now. If he keeps on correcting her, hopefully she'll stop saying such things.

"Can't y-you tell? I c-can't get rid of you no matter how hard I try, and I can't g-get Byakuya-sama to stay a-around me without him getting mad at me. I can't win at all. I-I have horrible luck," she explained before putting her glasses back on and letting her hands touch the flooring. She then looked at the brunette with a distant gaze.

"Is having me around such a bad thing?" he asked in a disappointed tone, with a slight frown forming. He couldn't tell if she disliked him for trying to be a friend, or trying to have her speak to him more. Actually, despite having spent so much time with her, he still doesn't even know if she considers him a friend. He keeps on saying he does, but not once had she ever said such a thing.

"No, it's not," she replied before turning her head away from him, "It's nice actually, h-having someone to talk to. I mean, it d-does get lonely not having anyone to talk to all day. So…thanks I guess…f-for being there for me Naegi," and with that he could have sworn he saw an ever so slight pink tint crossing over face. Though it could just be because she was crying slightly and was worked up. Yeah, that must be it.

"Then why don't you want me around?" he responded, still pondering just what was so hard about her having him help out. She just said she enjoys his company, so why? No matter how hard he thought, nothing comprehensible nor logical was showing up in his mind. All he could see was endless question marks pop up as he tried to fathom her language.

"I d-don't want to hurt you," she mumbled, eyes returning to the flooring. Her body tensed momentarily, hands curling slightly.

"I already told you, you have nothing to worry about," he responded reassuringly. Why she was set on the idea of him getting injured was a bit ominous, but he wasn't going to let what ifs occupy his mind. She was likely just being paranoid that her friend could give up on her at some point because of something she said.

"How c-can you be sure?"

"I'm your friend, remember? You don't have to worry about saying something mean and think it could offend me. I'm used to the way you talk, and I don't really take anything you say as offensive. It's just the way you are, and I accept that for the most part," he responded. She looked up slightly at him, ready to say something, "What I mean is that I'm fine if you say something to me, not when you say something mean to yourself. I don't like it when you ridicule yourself over something stupid."

"You're too nice for y-your own good Naegi," she spoke before returning her gaze downwards, "That k-kindness could be your very undoing one day."

"I know, I've been told that a lot."

"N-no, you don't."

"What do you mean?"

Silence met him that time, along with a dose of confusion. She didn't want to elaborate, and frankly, trying to get her to speak up might prove to be difficult. Explanations were never an easy thing to extract from her, so he should just leave that be for the moment. What he wanted to know above all else was the very reason he brought her up to the roof in the first place.

"Anyway, Fukawa?" he asked in a light, kind voice.

"What? I-I don't w-want to answer that," she retorted with some slight irritation seeping through her voice.

"I'm going to let that slide for now. Though I want to know something," he started, "Will you tell me what happened this morning? I know you don't want to tell me because you're worried about me, and I appreciate that, but I'm worried about you too. So instead of making me worry about you, let me help you so can get over it so no one has to worry about anything."

She picked up her head and stared at him, analyzing his expression. As if she was waiting to see him break his composure, to reveal his true intentions. To be able to see if all of the kindness he displayed before was nothing more than a façade meant to screw with her. That he did all of that just to make her upset, to make her think he truly cared for her when he didn't. Naegi was sure ideas like that where coursing through her mind as she debated on what words to use. That was the way she was, always thinking the worst of people due to past experiences.

"Naegi," she started, "Let me think about it." Her expression was filled with confliction. It seemed that she still couldn't make up her mind about if she would let him help her or not. When Naegi first met her, the words stubborn and indecisive where not present. Now though, it seemed that those words could describe her best, along with a few others. She could never make up her mind, and tended to not get out of a certain mindset despite how often he tried to tell her that such things weren't required.

"Thanks Fukawa!" he couldn't help but smile. Sure, it wasn't a direct answer, but it meant she was willing to try to let him in. He couldn't harass her all day about telling him what happened, considering she could just get more upset at him. If she was willing to consider something, it meant she could try to let people in. A little progress is better than nothing at all.

"W-Why are you s-so happy!? I didn't say I'll tell you anything!" she snapped at him, her voice sharp, "It's not like it's certain you'll learn anything, so why g-get so worked up about it?"

"It's simple really. The old Fukawa would have just said no, and stormed off and locked herself up in her room for a few days. You decided to give some thought to it instead of just jumping to a conclusion that I was trying to trick you instead of trying to help you. That shows that you're more comfortable around me," he explained in a chipper voice. The last time he tried to get her to open up, she yelled at him and didn't leave her room for about two days. He wasn't sure what she did in that time, but she was probably fixated on something. This time, she didn't run away and decided she would consider it. That's an improvement in his eyes.

"I see," was all she said, well, more like mumble in a barely audible voice. He was expecting her to snap at him like an angry piranha, but just nodded to it, "I guess that's not a bad thing then. I-I can't just hide in my room all the time."

"Yeah, it's a good thing. Even though you don't make it obvious, it shows you trust me," he replied in the same happy voice. If she was willing to consider doing something someone asked of her, it meant she didn't hate them or was afraid of them.

She nodded her head simply before she stood up and walked towards the door. Naegi watched her as she placed her hand on the handle before turning her head over to him, "I-I guess, I'll see you later Naegi. Thanks for being concerned about an ugly p-person like me."

He wanted to ask what she was up to, but decided it be best to leave her be for a while. She probably needed time alone to think over what she wanted to do. Though he couldn't let such an insult go as if it was factual, "Alright, I'll see you later in class. Though, I don't think you're ugly, so stop saying such things. It isn't right to insult yourself all the time."

"Then," she paused, as if she wasn't sure if she should continue, "What type of person am I?" She held a tight grip on the handle, as if she was ready to blot from the rooftop the moment his answer came out. If he said something she found cruel, she was already prepping herself to avoid any possible continuous insults. Despite the trust he believes she has, she was still paranoid.

"Huh? Well," he stopped as he felt his face heat up and he raised his hand to scratch the side of his head, "You're a nice person who needs to stop pushing others away. You have interesting things to talk about, but you never let people hear what you have to say because you're afraid of them. Not only that, but your writing is great and I think you should write another book. Besides that, I think you're cute."

She looked surprised, as if she was just told she won the lottery. Even so, she looked happy as well even if she didn't want to show it, "No one has ever said that to me before."

"Well, it's the truth," he responded with a sweet smile that only he seemed to give her while ignoring the heat swirling around both his face and stomach, "You're really cute Fukawa." To say those words were embarrassing without a doubt, but that was how he thought. If it meant she would stop calling herself ugly, then his embarrassment went towards a good deed.

"Thanks again, Naegi. Th-though there is still no guarantee I'll tell you anything" she responded with what he believed was a genuine smile. It wasn't often she would do that, and whenever she did, it was something to see. It was like some rare item. He was also sure that pink tint wasn't there because she cried a little early.

With those parting words she walked through the door and down the stairs. After the door closed with a clank, he spread out his legs and allowed his back to fall onto the flooring. The sky was the same shade, the clouds where still floating by, and the breeze felt the same. No matter what goes on in the world below, the Earth just keeps on turning and the clouds keeps on keeping on. No matter what happens, the clouds were always a source of calm for him.

"I really hope I got through to her. Fukawa can be difficult to handle at times, but she knows I want to support her. As long as she knows that, I'm sure I'll be able to help her. She didn't push me away earlier, so I hope that's enough proof I need to know she'll let me help her when she's ready. If I push too hard, she might go and hide away in her shell and never come out again," he spoke to the sky, not expecting any answers.

"Hopefully she'll come around and let me help. I hope I didn't mess up and make things worse for her either. Though I still would like to know why she's so fixated on keeping me away when she knows it's impossible at this point. I care too much about her to just leave her alone and let her suffer," with those words he yet again felt his checks heat up. Once more that odd feeling returned to his stomach, and he still couldn't put a name to it. He knows it must be called something, but what he wasn't sure of.

"It's really is embarrassing to say aloud. It sounds normal in my head though," he laughed lowly as he scratched his face lightly with his index finger, "But it's the truth. It's pointless to pretend something doesn't exist when it's already there. I guess acknowledging it is the hard part for some people."

* * *

So he continued to lay there, staring at the sky as he watched the clouds pass him as he hoped everything would go better from this point onwards. Though there's bound to be a few rocks in the way, he should be able to get over them. He's dealt with harder things when it came to Fukawa and her worries after all. Then his stomach suddenly gave off a small growl, "Oh yeah, I didn't bring any food with me. Guess I was too preoccupied to think about lunch."

Her thoughts where a wild storm. It raged like a violent sea attacking all ships that happened to be caught in the tempest. As Fukawa carried herself down the steps, all she could think of was how fate really hated her. Naegi was so kind, gentle, caring, and so, so much more. He was willing to do things others couldn't ever think of doing. All for her sake no less! It was such a feat that she was purely stunned. Everything about the boy was different from what she was used to, which should have been frightening. Even so, she felt he was warm and welcoming rather than something to be terrified of.

As she carried on, she couldn't help but think. She debated with herself what she should do. She couldn't get rid of him, yet she still didn't want to get him involved. No matter how much she wanted to keep him away from any possible harm, she couldn't just outright tell him to leave. Yet she said she would think about it! Such words where unnecessary, yet they still came out! She did something on impulse and now she couldn't help but regret it.

When her legs when reached the first floor, all she could do was call herself a moron. A fool for letting things get so out of hand, and an imprudent person for enjoying the kindness she wanted to stay away from. She wanted to keep him safe from the fragmented personality, yet all she could do was weaken and indulge in it. Her own weakness could cause destruction to reign over everything in her life again. All of it made her feel horribly sick to her stomach.


	5. Confliction

The word stupid kept on spinning inside her mind like a demonic ferries wheel in hell as she carried herself through the first floor of the building. Her footsteps echoed off the walls as she walked quickly past the chattering students returning to their classrooms. Her messy braids swung wildly as she walked, her eyes barely ever looking away from the tile beneath her. Classes were going to resume soon, but frankly, she couldn't give two shits about that at the moment. Her mind was preoccupied as usual, and school was the least of her problems.

She wanted to get away and be somewhere quite. A place where all she could do was stay by herself and imagine worlds filled with joy instead of the hideous one she called her home. A place where people wouldn't detect her existence. Though it wasn't like people paid much attention to it as it is. Preferably, that hiding spot would be her usual hide out, the library. Yet that would be fruitless considering the door would be locked after lunch to keep students from skipping. As such, she set her destination on the nurse's office.

Normally she wasn't one to skip class, but she made an exception and decided she needed to lay down and gather her thoughts in peace. Though that would be difficult considering all she could think of was how damn pathetic she was. She told herself she wouldn't let people get involved in her life, and she failed at it. She insisted she wouldn't let Naegi get near her to keep him out of her dilemmas, and of course she failed at that. She swore she wouldn't let Naegi get involved with her pathetic excuse of a life and make her own decisions about her stalking and writing routines, and she screwed that up too. She was just one gigantic freaking screw up! All she ever did was cause problems for other people! No matter what she thought she should do, she somehow always managed to go back on her word and make the same mistakes again and again!

Lord, was she a wretched piece of shit! The only thing she ever could do right was write stories! The only accomplishment she did was make fisherman popular with teenagers! Besides that, she made people she likes hate her existence and made people she couldn't give a damn about like her! Well, for the most part anyway. It was like some ravenous cycle of suffering she couldn't ever get away from! She couldn't tell what was worse, living with a family that hated her since day one or being stuck in a school where she couldn't escape her problems! At least at home that piss poor excuse of human beings she was supposed to call her family was kind of enough to leave her alone when they didn't lock her up in damn closest! Here though, she would be lucky if Naegi didn't come pounding at her door after a few days of shutting herself up in there. It was a nice gesture, but still! She couldn't get any peace!

If someone would have walked past her, they would have sworn they had seen a demon in human form. Irritation was leaking out of her body like some sort of fountain, and her eyes screamed she just wanted to kill something. Her mind was a horrible mess, her emotions where caught between getting help or running away, and she couldn't seem to get her frustration under control. She was just too pissed at herself to really care about anyone's opinions for once. She had calmed down earlier after her conversation with the brunette, but all of that anger returned after she left. It was like he was some sort of remedy. Whenever her emotions got out of control, he could find some way of calming her down with his sweet words and gentle, shimmering eyes.

"Why was I even born, if a-all I'm g-going to do is suffer? It w-would have been better i-if I just died," she mumbled to herself in spite with irritated eyes as she reached the doors to the nurse's office as the bell singled, telling the students to return to their classrooms. The doors where pure white, and didn't stand out at all compared to other parts of the building.

"Screw you b-bell. I'm in n-no mood to listen to anything you h-have to say," she responded to the sound as she reached her hand out to the door and slide it open with force. The door raddled loudly due to its age, and an equally loud shirk unexpectedly echoed from the room.

"What in the hell?" Fukawa mumbled to herself as she walked up to a figure crouched down, with their hands covering their head while shaking. The person was wearing a female school uniform with long dark hair, and was mumbling something along the lines of I'm sorry again and again. The scene was odd, yet the crouched over body shaking in fear and apologizing was oddly familiar. Had she seen something like this before? Or did she do something like that when she was younger when her family had gotten far too mad at her? The lines had blurred, and she couldn't really tell if she did the same or saw it elsewhere.

Fukawa pulled her head away from the girl and looked around the area she would visit from time to time. There were two beds aligned to the left side of the room, an x-ray machine hanging from the ceiling, while cabinets and desks sat against the wall furthest into the room along with a cooler. The infirmary was the same as ever, with the exception of the quivering girl and the lack of a nurse. The nurse was either out that day, or was taking an extended lunch and didn't feel the need to stay in the infirmary.

Watching the girl somehow calmed her down. Perhaps it was because someone else was suffering which made her feel better, or she just needed to be distracted by something else. That, or it was because she could relate to the person. Being hated, being afraid, wishing for a life were she could be stronger and less cowardly, she understood that far too well. Normally if she saw someone in pain, she would just pretend she didn't see anything. People did it to her, so why would she help someone? Though seeing someone freaked out because of her anger didn't seem fair, or Naegi's morals were rubbing off on her. So instead of just letting the poor creature quiver like an animal preparing for death, she decided to give her some mercy and spoke, "Y-you don't need to apologize." It was odd, trying to help someone. Yet, it wasn't a bad thing.

"Huh?" the voice spoke before turning her head around to see Fukawa. Little tears had formed along her face, and her eyes were shaking much like her body.

"Oh, it's you Tsumiki," she replied upon the recognition of her upper classman. Perhaps that was why the scene seemed so similar, she tended to apologize about almost everything. The girl was akin to her in many ways. They both weren't good with people, both had horrible social skills, had rotten families, and were the target of other people's abuse. Fukawa was lucky no one in her class harassed in the ways people did in both elementary school and junior high. Plus she did have someone to listen to her and help, despite how often Fukawa told him off. Tsumiki though wasn't as unfortunate considering her group of 'friends' weren't the kindest of people.

She had meet her by chance one day when she wasn't feeling well. Considering her talent was being a nurse, hanging out in the infirmary didn't seem that much of a stretch. She managed to hold a conversation with her, despite Fukawa's reluctance to speaking. Despite that, the two managed to get along, sharing their troubles with their classmates and what not.

"Fukawa, do you not feel good?" asked the timid girl as she raised up from the floor and turned to face her with a sense of relief flooding over her face. She was a good person willing to help others, be it if they were sick or to allow them to bother her for their entertainment. Her hands were raised to her chest, and her right cheek had a visible and thick redness to it. Looking closely, it actually looked like there was something imprinted into her skin.

"M-my stomach hurts," she somewhat lied. While her stomach ached, it wasn't because of any illness, "Th-though what happened to your face Tsumiki?" While Fukawa had trouble speaking to people, the nurse was one of the few exceptions. They both had been through similar events in their life, so she found it easy to talk to her. Fukawa could relate to her, so her anxiety levels where relatively low around her. She was even more timid than Fujisaki, and held no form of hatred towards anyone. No matter how cruel they were to her, she would just take the beating and wait till they were done. She couldn't recall her ever yelling at anyone, much less trying to stand up for herself. She was possibly as weak as cotton candy.

"This?" she spoke lowly as her hand rose to touch her skin momentarily while her eyes scanned the sliding door to make sure no one else would come through, "Saionji hit me in the face with a ruler a few times. Sh-she said I was trash who needed to be put in its place and did this." Her expression was grim, her hands lightly shaking in front of her chest, and an overall depressing vibe was emanating from her. Something she could easily relate to.

"Th-that bitch n-needs to be p-put in her place," replied Fukawa with irritation seeping through her voice, "She's a-always harassing you, b-but it never seems like anyone d-does anything about her." Fukawa knew quite well how bullies behaved, and the full-of-herself traditional dancer fitted the bully character perfectly. The teachers had never shown much sympathy to the children who are unable to stand up for themselves. They would pretend to not see anything, and allow the menacing ruffians to continue their rampage on people like them while sipping their morning coffee or tea.

Tsumiki didn't say a word, but rather looked down and mumbled lightly, "W-what if I deserved it? I mean, I'm always tripping over something and making a mess, and I'm so clumsy." Her words showed how unconfident she was, how she didn't believe that anything she did had any worth.

It felt like she was staring at herself inside a mirror. A girl who felt like she was worthless, and allowed other people to take advantage of her. Tsumiki was a good person whose skills accomplished much more than her writings. She could help someone who was hurt, something she learned from having to tend her own wounds again and again. She developed her talent in a hatful environment, a place where she didn't want to be but couldn't do anything to stand up for herself. That was why the nurse was so weak, she allowed people to control her because she was too scared to stand up for herself.

"Th-that's not true. You're medical skills are more v-valuable than some snobby bitch's dancing," she replied. For a moment, she felt like Naegi helping someone who lacked confidence. Was this what he saw in her? A person who needed a helping hand not because she was pitted, but because she needed someone to help her? Some to relay on? If so, then maybe she could understand him better. He was helping her so she would have more confidence, and then she could use that to help someone who didn't have anyone else.

"Are you sure? I mean, n-no one in my class really defended me. If that was true, wouldn't they tried to help?" she continued, her voice trembling. She had no actual friends there, no one to defend her when she was being attacked. Fukawa swiftly realized how grateful she truly was to Naegi, she would have just ended up like her if he wasn't there. She would have just staid to herself and suffer alone like she had done before. To think, if it wasn't for him, she probably wouldn't be able to help Tsumiki in any form.

"They are j-just assholes. O-only asses let someone g-get tormented for no reason, so don't let th-them get to you," she continued with firm eyes. She knew well, people who don't stand up for someone in need are either cowards or assholes. They are either afraid to tell someone off or couldn't give two shits about anyone except themselves. She herself couldn't defend others out of her own weakness, so she openly acknowledged herself as a coward. A pathetic coward who couldn't ever make up her mind about anything.

Fukawa for a moment couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Just minutes ago she herself was being lectured on letting people in, and now she's lecturing someone for being too self-critical. The more time she spent with the brunette, the more she was becoming like him. Helping a person who needed someone to rely on, trying to give them a sense of worth. In retrospect, he left a piece of himself with her, a strength to support others like her. Who knew, he was with her even when they were separated. That showed just how hard it would be to actually get rid of him. Yet for a moment she couldn't help but feel like it would be a shame if she couldn't spend any time with him.

"Thanks Fukawa," she smiled sweetly at the younger girl, "You're a good friend." With those words the nurse walked over to a cabinet and grabbed a cloth before walking over to a cooler. She reached inside, pulled out a cold compress, and wrapped it in the cloth and applied it to her cheek. She then walked back to the desk and sat down in the chair before returning her eyes to Fukawa, "Do you want some medicine for your stomach, or do you want to rest here for a while?"

"I-I want to stay here. I d-don't feel up to class right now," she responded, surprised about being called her friend. They didn't speak that much. Sure, she would come to the nurse's office often when she didn't feel good or just wanted out of class and they would chat about their similar problems, but that was it. How could she possibly make a friend when she was always so off putting? Could conversations make you a friend?

"Alright," she was quite for a moment, pondering if she should speak. After analyzing the situation she spoke up, "If you don't mind my asking, but is something bothering you? You did make a commotion when you came in. I didn't mean that in a bad way though!" She quickly apologized about those words, wanting to not offend her in the slightest way.

Fukawa walked over to the bed closest to the nurse and sat down. Great she thought to herself, someone else wanted to bug her about her problems. Yet, it wasn't the same with the Naegi situation. Genocider had no interest in female victims, much less weak girls much like the original personality she despised so much. Syo wouldn't be slightly interested in Tsumiki, and Fukawa certainty wasn't afraid of her. While Asahina was pushy and energetic like a puppy, Tsumiki was meek yet soft like a rabbit. Quick to frighten, yet was willing to stick around and listen to someone if she didn't feel startled.

The writer turned her head, unsure if she should get another person involved with her mess. She already insulted herself for telling the boy, so did she really need to tell another human? Yet she felt slightly relieved, happy even when she blurted out her emotions to Naegi. If she would let someone who wouldn't blather to another human being like some sort of owl in a museum now, wouldn't it make her feel better? Naegi was always telling her to try. To try her best to get to know people, and let others know about the things going on inside her.

"I can't make up my mind," she finally spoke, thinking that since his strength was with her, she could try. He went to such lengths just to talk to her despite all of her protests, so a small attempt from her side shouldn't be that difficult. Besides, it would be nice to get another opinion.

"About what?" she asked kindly, eyes staring at her curiously.

"Someone is t-trying to h-help me w-with something, but I don't know if I s-should let them," she explained while playing with her hands in her lap. She couldn't make up mind no matter how many times she ran the scenario through her head. She didn't want him involved, but it seemed like it was impossible to keep him away.

"If the person wants to help, what's so wrong about it? There are nice people out there, so if they want to help, you should let them," she responded simply.

"I-I know that, but…"

"But what? Is there a catch?"  
"Y-yeah, if he helps me, he could g-get hurt," now there was the underlying problem. If

Syo didn't exist in her life, perhaps telling the boy wouldn't be a bad thing. Frankly, he made her feel better when he was around, so life would be much easier. Yet a killer who went after people she talked with who happened to be male was something she couldn't forget about. What type of person would that make her if she let him get hurt? He called her kind, interesting, and cute even! For a moment she relished in that comment, enjoying the warmth in her stomach while believing that someone who said such things didn't deserve to suffer.

"Oh, so you don't know if you want to take the chance of something going wrong?"

"Yes."

Tsumiki was silent, as if she was searching her brain for something important. After  
a few moments she decided to speak up, but lower than before and some concern seeping through her meek voice, "Is that person the boy you're friends with? Naegi I think his name is?" She tensed after that, expecting something to be yelled out furiously for saying such a thing.

Fukawa could have done so, but bit her lip in restraint. She didn't need to yell at someone weak like her, and he was going to be brought up one way or another. It wasn't like Togami could be considered her friend since she stayed away and watched him like some filthy thief. Friends appreciate each other, right? They talk with each other, right? They don't yell at their friends to go away and die the most painful death known to man, right?

"Yeah. He k-keeps on trying to h-help me, and I can't seem to get him to leave me alone. No matter how mean I sound, h-he keeps on coming back," she explained while just laying her hands out on her lap, "And n-no matter how m-much I tell myself I don't w-want his help, I keep on finding myself th-thinking it's a nice thing to have." She was an indecisive, cowardly moron. She didn't want him involved no matter how much she appreciated his help. She liked the warmth he gave her, and no matter how much she didn't want to have him there, she just couldn't fully get him to leave. She knew she couldn't get rid of him, yet accepting his involvement was too much for her emotional state.

"I see. Then, shouldn't you just take that chance?" she asked lightly, her eyes looking down to the floor for a bit, "After all, it's seems you do want his help deep down, but you're more afraid for his safety than yourself. You should care more about yourself Fukawa."

She wanted to laugh at that. Tsumiki, the other girl in the academy who had a terrible sense of worth, was telling her to care more about herself?! Granted though she was in the medical field and that must be a part of the job description, but still! Nagei could get attacked by some perverted murdering fiend just because he cares too much for her! How could that exchange be fair? He helps her get over some issue and he winds up losing an eye or something. Sounds real fair! How could she appreciate herself when she could harm someone!

"Do you even k-know who you're talking to?" she mumbled to herself before raising her voice and glaring viciously at the meek upperclassman, "I'm a terrible person! A complete mon…ster," she stopped hastily as she saw how Tsumiki reacted to the sudden shift in moods. She shriveled up in her chair, ready to cry, and looked absolutely frightened of her. God, her eyes looked like she just saw her pet brutally murdered. Before her was someone who was just trying to help her, just like Naegi, and she almost scared her half to death because she just wanted to rant about how shitty she was. Something she did a lot as it is. Even though she was told she wasn't, she still just didn't want to try and accept it. She bit her lip once more, looked down to the ground and quickly apologized for sounding too coarse.

She looked like that at one point. She would break out in tears whenever someone raised their voice too loud or raised a hand to her face. If someone told her to leave and go away, she would tear up, run away, and want to hide. Looking at Tsumiki was like looking at herself as a child who couldn't bottle up her hate and just cried. She was never good at controlling her emotions, but as a kid it was just terrible. All she ever did was cry, and maybe that was why her family hated her so much. She couldn't keep quite as they smacked her around like a volleyball.

As she got older she just started to accept the hate, considered it a norm of life and became bitter. She just associated human life with pain and suffering. She would jump to conclusions and believe that all people were no good because of the few life experiences she had that went awry. While Tsumiki never jumped to that conclusion. She becomes easily frightened, but didn't became a bitter person who hated everything in the world. She gave things a chance.

"I-I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm sorry about that," she spoke once more, understanding the pain of hating of being yelled at. Her family did it all the time, and in the end the thing she hated became something she did too much. Looking back at it, she ended up becoming more like them then she would have wanted. Yelling at others, insulting them, and acting like they didn't deserve any kindness. While some people where worthy of such treatment, not everyone deserved it.

"It's alright," she responded. Somehow she couldn't hold a grudge, couldn't despise everything, and despite her distaste in herself, she still had more strength than her. Fukawa couldn't help but think she was terribly weak; a pathetic coward who would spew nonsense all the time and hurt people in the way people hurt her. It was like she became a villain to herself, and those around her. It was just so wretched!

Tsumiki took some time to recompose herself before saying, "I don't think you're bad Fukawa. If don't mind me saying this, I think you're just rough around the edges. Once you open up a little, you show that you are nice."

She just frightened her, and then she goes back trying to help her? Why did she seem to find herself surrounded by people who are too kind for their own good? The nurse had to go through shit, yet she still was willing to help others? Fukawa never cared for people, but if someone who shared a similar problem could, why couldn't she do it? Was it because of how pathetically cowardly she was?

"So that's why I think you should try and let your friend help you. Sometimes bad things happen, but it won't change someone's determination to help someone important," she explained with a slight smile, "I try to make friends with people. It doesn't always work well, but trying is better than not, right?"

Now she was lecturing her? Just moments ago it was the other way around! Though there was that word again, try. He wanted her to try to let him in, and Tsumiki wanted her to try to allow people help her. In Tsumiki's attempts, people would just take advantage of her or treat her horribly, but she didn't stop. She would just go along with the pain, thinking it was better than doing nothing? Better than not doing anything at all?

"Is that so?" she mumbled to herself while returning her gaze upwards. The two where similar, yet she was more of a coward. She would hate people without knowing them, push them away, and act like they were evil. Some actions was to prevent anyone from learning about Syo, others because she just didn't want to try. She was a stubborn coward who didn't take risks and trusted assholes who wouldn't do anything for her in the long run. Yet somehow this quick to frighten rabbit was more willing to do things than her.

"Yeah," she gave a light smile, "I try my best for people to accept me. I get sad when they don't, but at least I tried." How, she wondered. How could someone be so like her, yet so different?

"Alright," she mumbled lowly while lifting her gaze to the ceiling. If Tsumiki could do it, why couldn't she? Couldn't she try to change her fate? She allowed it to control her, and let Syo reign supreme over her life. Though if someone who was like a frighten rabbit who let a snobby bitch torment her at least tried to be stronger, then why in the hell couldn't she try!

She didn't like being a weak coward, and she hated the fact that Naegi was caught up in her problems because she was pathetic! That, and she didn't want to be like them! To make someone tremble in fear was what they did to her, so why would she want to be like them?! She hated them! Despised them! Wished she never had met them! Blamed them for why her life was miserable and why Syo existed in the first place. They made her like this, and she ended up acting just like them! She made someone cringe in fear because all she wanted to do was bitch about her problems! If there was anything she hated doing more than being indecisive about her life, it was acting like the people she wished never existed.

"I don't want to be like them," she mumble while clenching her fists tightly, her finger nails digging deep into her skin, "I can't become like them!" They were the reason everything was wrong! They caused all of these problems! They made her like this! If she let herself become like them, wouldn't that mean she accepted the things they did to her? That'd be total bullshit!

"Fukawa?" she mumbled lightly, unsure of what was happening before her. She could have spoken but preferred to wait and see.

"I don't want to h-hurt people like they did to me," she spoke before returning her gaze downwards. That look on Tsumiki's face before. The fear, the sadness, the urge to scrounge down and apologize while crying uncontrollably. She hated that. She despised the pain they inflicted on her! They forced her to do that, and she didn't want to cause that pain on others! No one should suffer like that!

"Thank you, Tsumiki," she spoke to her softly. She didn't want to be a coward who yelled all day and hurt others. Naegi wasn't fazed by her words, so she never noticed. He would just calm her down, say everything was okay, and that she didn't need to behave in such a way. Yet when he wasn't around to keep her nerves in check, she would just lash out with venom in her voice. She didn't care who she hurt because she just thought they didn't matter. That they deserved their suffering. Yet one look at Tsumiki and she remembered how she felt when her father or one of her mother's lashed out at her about their problems. She hated that, and ended up doing the same thing. Without Naegi, she acted just like them and didn't want that. He wanted her to be stronger, and to do that she had to not become like them.

"You're welcome?" she responded, unsure how exactly she helped, but didn't want to press any further questions in hopes of not getting yelled at, "Though I think you should really get some rest. You still aren't feeling well, right?"

"Yeah," she mumbled while thinking over how mean she must sound all the time. Of how cruel she sounded to Naegi every time she lashed out at him. He would put up with so much cruelty and yet he still managed to care about her. She could have never return that sentiment. How could anyone accept someone who treated everyone else horribly? How could he be so kind? How could someone act like a saint in this modern age of corruption and abominate?

"Well, I'll let you get some rest. I should get back to class anyway," started the older girl as she got up and walked towards the door, her hand never leaving the compress on her face, "I hope you feel better."

With a simple thanks, Fukawa laid back on the bed and pulled off her glasses. Tsumiki had showed her that she could become stronger if she stopped being like her family. The nurse didn't act like the people who mistreated her, but tried to be friends with people. No matter how scared she ended up and how much she apologized, she still tried her best. She was a frightened rabbit, but she tried her best to not be a coward.

That was so unlike her. She was a pathetic coward who relied on abuse and when given kindness, tossed it aside out of fear. Yet if the nurse could do it, why couldn't she? Fukawa wasn't as easily frightened, but she allowed herself to become horribly bitter. It was that bitterness, that flaw that allowed Syo to have so much control over her. If she became less like her abusers and more confident, then maybe she would be stronger? Then maybe, just maybe…

"If I stop b-being so weak, th-then maybe I can let him help me," she mumbled while closing her eyes. The brunette came to her mind, and that sweet smile. She didn't want his help out of fear of Syo hurting him, but if she had more control, then what would she have to worry about? She could let him help her, to allow her to indulge in the sugary sweetness that basically oozed out of him. She could allow herself to have some form of happiness that Togami couldn't give her.

For once in a long time, Fukawa allowed herself to doze off into a comfortable sleep. If she stopped being a coward that shut herself away in fear and tried to take control over her life, then just maybe. Just maybe she could be happy.

* * *

The sunset was a beautiful shade of orange and red that evening. It looked as if the town was set ablaze by the sun's intensity, allowing all of the people under it to scorch in its wrath. Perhaps it was some sort of act of retribution for their transgressions against the world? Or maybe it was the sun's way of having a good time on Earth?

"Hmm, my aren't these lovely text messages! Who knew someone could get so many in such a short span of a few hours and be filled with such feelings!" hummed a voice gleefully as she walked out of the school building and towards the courtyard. It was an empty space, devoid of human life. Perhaps the sun had already obliterated them all into dust and she was too late to the party to see it all their painful, agonizing expressions of death?

"Now then, what should I do about all of this I wonder? It would be rude of me to act like I didn't see them, but what action should I take? Should I be sassy and sexy? Maybe a little brooding and mysterious? Oh there are so many choice to pick from!"

With that comment the voice looked out to the sunset, letting red eyes met the brilliant shade of red bathing over the city like a ray. She dropped her right hand to let the phone hang loosely as she placed her other hand on her hip, "Now then, how should I treat you my dear Naegi Makoto? After all, seeing such concern is so uncommon for Miss. Gloomy! I mean really, how can someone care so much about an uninteresting girl! Hmm…what nickname would be worthy of such a kind being I wonder? Well, I'm sure at least someone is going to have some fun with these new developments! Ahahahahahaha!"

From the cellphone, a message was open. Its contents wasn't terrifically long, but it held in important message, _"Hey, I know I've been bugging you a lot, but could you please let me know what's going on with you? I've been worried since you never came back to class, and I want to know if you're alright. Call me or reply back when you can."_


End file.
